McCain makes pitch for Gomez

Tuesday

May 21, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By John J. Monahan TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

U.S. Sen. John McCain campaigned in the state Monday for Republican Gabriel E. Gomez and called on veterans to do the same for the former Navy SEAL who will face Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey in the June 25 special U.S. Senate election. Mr. Gomez criticized Mr. Markey on 9-11 victim resolutions and national security votes.

Mr. McCain, the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, addressed about 150 Gomez supporters and later attended a fundraiser at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, near the site of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Mr. Gomez, in his first run for major office, won a three-way Republican primary last month to face Mr. Markey for the seat vacated by Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

Mr. McCain said Mr. Gomez supports background checks for gun sales, immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and a balanced budget amendment, among other signature issues for the Arizona Republican.

Mr. McCain said Mr. Gomez’s background as a Naval Academy graduate and Navy SEAL can give people confidence he will vote to protect national security and veterans.

Mr. McCain acknowledged that Mr. Gomez is trailing in the polls, challenging veterans to get on their phones to get voters out for the Cohasset businessman.

“Let’s have a little straight talk. This is a tough fight. He is the underdog right now. We’re close, but he is down, OK?” Mr. McCain said. “So it is going to come down to who gets out the vote. I’ll be counting on our veterans,” Mr. McCain said.

The Arizona senator called the swirling controversies in Washington over the attack on the diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, the ongoing IRS scandal over the targeting of conservative non-profit groups and surveillance of The Associated Press phones, “trifecta” of scandal that calls for “big change” in Washington.

“The moral of the story is government is too big. Government is no longer responsive to the people,” Mr. McCain said.

Mr. Gomez, who called Mr. McCain “a true American hero,” took several swipes at his opponent’s past votes on national security issues and support for 9-11 victims.

Mr. Gomez said he could not understand why Mr. Markey voted against a 2002 Congressional resolution to honor victims of 9-11 and against a resolution honoring countries that came to the United States’ assistance after 9-11.

He said Mr. Markey also voted against a Homeland Security bill and that he was for the Patriot Act before he was against it.

“He didn’t do a single thing to make sure we were safer as a country.” Mr. Gomez said of those votes, which he described as “far out of the mainstream.”

Mr. Markey, who was greeting union construction workers in the Boston Longwood neighborhood, had his campaign respond to the attack within minutes. Campaign spokesman Andrew Zucker called Mr. Gomez’s criticism, “despicable attacks” which have been “widely discredited in the past.”

“Republicans and families of 9-11 victims deserve better than for their memories to be exploited for partisan political gain. This is nothing more than a page ripped from the failed Republican playbook that plays politics with the memories of 9-11 victims,” Mr. Zucker said

He said Mr. Markey has always supported the victims of 9-11 and that is why he voted against resolutions that “blatantly politicized 9-11 and denigrated the memory of those who died.” He insisted Mr. Gomez owes the victims of 9-11 an apology.

The Markey campaign said the resolutions involving 9-11 victims and families as well as a border security bill were opposed by Mr. Markey and others because they attempted to link the war in Iraq to the 9-11 attacks and were infused with other controversial political language. Campaign officials also pointed out that Mr. Markey voted to give the Congressional Gold Medal to 9-11 victims and families and voted “yes” on eight other resolutions honoring 9-11 victims.